Desperate times call for desperate measures and with the Knicks on the brink of elimination, Mike Woodson redeemed himself from his brain freeze in Game 4 by pushing all the right buttons in the Knicks’ 85-75 Game 5 victory.

All night long you kept looking at the scoreboard after the Pacers had missed another free throw or made another turnover, and kept expecting to see the Knicks up by more than they were on the night when they were playing for their season. But they were not.

Chris Copeland has known his place on the veteran-laden Knicks throughout his long-awaited first NBA season. The dreadlocked 29-year-old rookie carries around a reminder of that status every day — a pink Disney princesses backpack.

J.R. Smith played a solid, even-keeled game Thursday night against the Pacers at the Garden, scoring 13 points with six rebounds and three steals in an 85-75 victory that kept the Knicks’ season alive in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

An elbow from Game 4 out in Indianapolis went a long way toward getting the Knicks back to the Circle City for one more basketball game on Saturday. Tyson Chandler threw it, George Hill caught it with his noggin and the Knicks used Hill’s absence on Thursday night to get a season-saving, 85-75 victory at the Garden.

Mike Woodson left no doubt that he was in full “win-or-go home” mode in Thursday’s elimination-avoiding Game 5 victory over Indiana. Woodson benched two of his most accomplished players, returning big man Amar’e Stoudemire and slumping guard Jason Kidd, for the entire second half of the Knicks’ 85-75 win at the Garden.

Kurt Thomas is undecided about whether to regain his title as the NBA’s oldest player next season. Thomas is recovering from right foot surgery and is two weeks from being off crutches. The 40-year-old is a free agent after the Knicks released him last month in order to add a player to the postseason roster.

Chris Copeland, the Knicks' 29-year-old rookie, knows his role on this team — stay humble and stay ready. Reaching into a bag he brought with him to the interview room after the Knicks' 85-75 victory over the Pacers in Game 5 Thursday night, Copeland showed he has mastered the first part.

Mike Woodson has been trying too hard to search for answers offensively.He had Chris Copeland right there sitting behind him on the bench.After two losses in which the Knicks averaged 76.5 points, Woodson announced on Thursday that he would play Copeland more minutes in Game 5 to give the team a scoring boost. That’s just what “I Get Buckets” (Copeland’s nickname) did.Woodson initially called Copeland’s name at the start of the second quarter to replace Carmelo Anthony.

Brushing off allegations made by Rihanna about his excessive partying, J.R. Smith insisted on Thursday night that he has focused on basketball, not social media.”I’m not worried about Instagram, I’m worried about the playoffs,” Smith said after the New York Knicks’ Game 5 win over the Indiana Pacers. Smith faced a question about Rihanna on Thursday night after the pop star alleged on her Instagram account that Smith has been “hung over from clubbing every night during the playoffs.

The Knicks’ win Thursday gave them more than just a chance to play another day — it gave them confidence. “If any team can accomplish this, I feel like we can,” Tyson Chandler said. The “this” Chandler was referring to is winning a series after trailing 3-1. Only eight teams in NBA history have rebounded from a 3-1 series deficit. The Knicks, of course, took a major step toward adding their name to the list with an 85-75 Game 5 win. They still have a long way to go to complete the comeback, however.

J.R. Smith may not be out of his slump, but his performance in Game 5 against the Pacers last night was a step in the right direction.
Smith, who has been mired in a horrific shooting slump since his ejection in Game 3 of the Knicks’ first-round series against…

There is Cope! And hope.
The Knicks are taking this series back to Indiana — something coach Mike Woodson predicted yesterday morning in a bold “I’m-expecting-to-win” declaration.
Buoyed by ferociously physical defense, a bounce-back game from J.R. Smith, 28 points from Carmelo Anthony, a big second half from Raymond…

The Knicks can dream about doing this now. They can make history, become the ninth team to come all the way back from a 3-1 playoff deficit. All it takes is one game to change everything, one game from the heart, one do-or-die game where you do not die, one…

Raymond Felton battled for the rebound with two Pacers when Chris Copeland missed a 3-pointer with a few minutes left in the third quarter last night. And the 6-foot-1 Felton is not the Knick you’d expect to come up with the carom.
But it was Felton who relentlessly fought…

Mike Woodson abandoned Jason Kidd and Amar’e Stoudemire last night, and they’re not assured of getting back into the Knicks coach’s rotation.
In the Knicks’ 85-75 season-saving Game 5 win at the Garden, Woodson benched Kidd and Stoudemire for the entire second half. Kidd played a total…

They shot like cadavers. They missed 14 free throws. They committed 19 turnovers, seven in the fourth quarter. And yet the Pacers were down just four points with 6:42 remaining.
Still, all those self-inflicted sins were not the cause of the fuming in the Pacers’ locker room after they…

Chris Copeland, a training-camp long shot who spent part of the season lugging around a pink knapsack as part of rookie hazing, may turn into a very attractive piece on the free-agent market.
Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald likely hopes Copeland will be part of the team’s future plans…

Closing out the Knicks got harder for the Pacers. A lot harder. They had three shots. Now they have two. And they don’t know when — or if — they will have point guard George Hill.Hill was a late scratch last night when tests revealed he suffered a concussion from…

Nothing has changed. They’ve won every big game in this series. The only two games we’ve won are historically the easiest games to win. Game 2 at home after the road team has gained a split, and game 5 at home when the road team is up 3-1 are the most automatic games in the playoffs when two teams are somewhat even.

For all the talk about JR’s miserable shooting, and it has been all that, Paul George through 5 games is 30-84, or 35%, and has 25 turnovers. I get that he does a lot of other things, including guarding Melo by himself, but he has been pretty erratic all season on the offensive end.

If I were the GM of the Pacers, I’d amnesty Danny Granger this offseason, re-sign David West and make a strong play for JJ Redick. There’s really no room in the front court for Granger any more, but Indiana desperately needs an offensive upgrade. Redick fits the bill perfectly–elite shooter, solid all-around player, disciplined and good motor defender.

Hubert:
Nothing has changed.They’ve won every big game in this series.The only two games we’ve won are historically the easiest games to win.Game 2 at home after the road team has gained a split, and game 5 at home when the road team is up 3-1 are the most automatic games in the playoffs when two teams are somewhat even.

If Hill can’t play that’s great for our chances, though.

Still an unlikely Knicks series win, however if they win that first “tough” game in Indy coming up, then they’ll get one of the most historically friendly scenerios: a Game 7 at home.

Brian Cronin: There’s certainly a…segment of the Pacers’ fanbase that that would please a lot. The same segment that likes the fact that they have all of the available Hansbrough brothers.

His melanin-deficiency would not be too upsetting to their fans, I’m sure, though he happens to be a damn good basketball player too and a better option for them than the other FA SGs (Mayo, JR, etc.).

Hubert: Nothing has changed. They’ve won every big game in this series. The only two games we’ve won are historically the easiest games to win. Game 2 at home after the road team has gained a split, and game 5 at home when the road team is up 3-1 are the most automatic games in the playoffs when two teams are somewhat even.If Hill can’t play that’s great for our chances, though.

Agreed. And we’ll need to play much better than we did last night to win a game 6 in Indy. How we let this shitty offensive team come into the garden and shoot 49% in game 1 is beyond me. That game is such a statistical outlier compared to all the other games in this series..it just shouldnt have happened. We were supposed to win this in 7, with all games won by the home team.

Eternal OptiKnist: Agreed.And we’ll need to play much better than we did last night to win a game 6 in Indy.How we let this shitty offensive team come into the garden and shoot 49% in game 1 is beyond me.That game is such a statistical outlier compared to all the other games in this series..it just shouldnt have happened.We were supposed to win this in 7, with all games won by the home team.

whoever has won the the ‘# of shot attempts’ battle has won the game. in 3 of the 5 games so far (games 2, 3 and 4), the # of shot attempts has been TOTALLY in favor of the game winner. In games 1 and 5 it was much closer and those games were decided by shooting percentage. To win game 6 we need to limit our TOs and force theirs to offset their OREBs. If we can do that, we have a shot. I think all we need to do is shoot like..43%. If we dont do our thing with TOs, it’ll require shooting between 45 – 50% which i dont think we can do in Indy (unless you subscribe to the thought that we’re “due” for a hot shooting game.

Boston is to blame for that and also for Melo’s injury (Garnett’s cheap shot arm twisting that absolutely no one seems to be talking about), by pushing us to 6, they gave us the quick turnaround of less than 48 hours for game 1. IND had the same turnaround, but not nearly as emotional of a first round series.

jon abbey: Boston is to blame for that and also for Melo’s injury (Garnett’s cheap shot arm twisting that absolutely no one seems to be talking about), by pushing us to 6, they gave us the quick turnaround of less than 48 hours for game 1. IND had the same turnaround, but not nearly as emotional of a first round series.

I dont know…maybe. Tough to blame emotion. I just feel like it was bad Xs and Os.

jon abbey:
Boston is to blame for that and also for Melo’s injury (Garnett’s cheap shot arm twisting that absolutely no one seems to be talking about), by pushing us to 6, they gave us the quick turnaround of less than 48 hours for game 1. IND had the same turnaround, but not nearly as emotional of a first round series.

I agree with this assessment, though I choose to blame JR Smith for it.

In the alternate timeline where he didn’t elbow Terry and get suspended for game 4, I think we finished off that sweep, took the first two games against Indiana, won a game in Indianapolis because we had nothing to panic about, closed them out last night, and we’re rested and ready for the monumental task of beating Miami.

Has anybody seen Chris Copeland’s playoff advanced stats? I’m sure some of you have (and even discussed), but a .612 TS% on a .591 eFG% and a 16.9% USG, good for a .171 WS/48 in only 74 minutes.

It kills me that he hasn’t been playing. He’s the perfect equalizer against a slow, lumbering Pacers frontcourt and should have gotten the start in Game 4. I hope he plays a lot in Game 6; he’s the only useful player on our roster the Pacers don’t really have a feel for and can make it a real ball game.

massive:
Has anybody seen Chris Copeland’s playoff advanced stats? I’m sure some of you have (and even discussed), but a .612 TS% on a .591 eFG% and a 16.9% USG, good for a .171 WS/48 in only 74 minutes.

It kills me that he hasn’t been playing. He’s the perfect equalizer against a slow, lumbering Pacers frontcourt and should have gotten the start in Game 4. I hope he plays a lot in Game 6; he’s the only useful player on our roster the Pacers don’t really have a feel for and can make it a real ball game.

And does anybody else hate Frank Vogel’s face?

It’s good that he’s playing but if we gave him time at the 5 I bet you Carmelo Anthony would have a breakout game.

I’m sure a lot of players in the middle of shooting slumps do this, but I was impressed that JR was the first player on the court during halftime by about 10 minutes, and was practicing jumpers and free throws. Plus I heard he was on the court 2 1/2 hours before the game taking shots.

Not a big deal for most players, but for a guy whose mentality and commitment we all question, a little encouraging IMO.

Hubert: I agree with this assessment, though I choose to blame JR Smith for it.

In the alternate timeline where he didn’t elbow Terry and get suspended for game 4, I think we finished off that sweep, took the first two games against Indiana, won a game in Indianapolis because we had nothing to panic about, closed them out last night, and we’re rested and ready for the monumental task of beating Miami.

The me in that alternate timeline predicts we beat the Heat in 7.

Don’t forget the part where I win the lottery and have Kate Upton fall madly in love with me…

In my timeline we beat Indiana in 7 and Frank Vogel gets beaten up by Hibert for yelling at him. Hibert needs plastic surgery and comes back looking like Dolan. Fans spot him on the street and take care of business.

massive:
Has anybody seen Chris Copeland’s playoff advanced stats? I’m sure some of you have (and even discussed), but a .612 TS% on a .591 eFG% and a 16.9% USG, good for a .171 WS/48 in only 74 minutes.

It kills me that he hasn’t been playing. He’s the perfect equalizer against a slow, lumbering Pacers frontcourt and should have gotten the start in Game 4. I hope he plays a lot in Game 6; he’s the only useful player on our roster the Pacers don’t really have a feel for and can make it a real ball game.

And does anybody else hate Frank Vogel’s face?

Well after 45 or so playoff minutes he was shooting like 23% from the field, so… sample size. But he was great last night, for sure.

if you guys want a non-hoops break before tomorrow’s game, I’ll be on WNYU radio from noon-2 PM talking about my new label ErstAEU and the concert we’re doing in Brooklyn on the 25th, 89.1 FM in NYC or wnyu.org.

Garson: and Hibbert would break the all time rebouding playoff record.

And look like a reincarnated Kareem. I’m all for more Cope time, but let’s not get carried away here. His defense has come a good way since the start of the year, but if Chandler can’t contain Hibbert, Cope would get destroyed.

Kahnzy: And look like a reincarnated Kareem. I’m all for more Cope time, but let’s not get carried away here. His defense has come a good way since the start of the year, but if Chandler can’t contain Hibbert, Cope would get destroyed.

Guys, Roy Hibbert is still a very limited offensive player. He’s not going to score 42 points on you if he’s left single covered or if he’s not guarded by a traditional big.

Solid team defense, beginning at the entry passes, can contain Roy Hibbert.

If we lose this series, Miami is going to guard him with guys about the size of Chris Copeland and he’s not going to dominate them offensively.

He is Roy Hibbert. Not Kareem. No one can make him look like Kareem, though Tyson is trying his best.

Hubert: Guys, Roy Hibbert is still a very limited offensive player.He’s not going to score 42 points on you if he’s left single covered or if he’s not guarded by a traditional big.

Solid team defense, beginning at the entry passes, can contain Roy Hibbert.

If we lose this series, Miami is going to guard him with guys about the size of Chris Copeland and he’s not going to dominate them offensively.

He is Roy Hibbert.Not Kareem.No one can make him look like Kareem, though Tyson is trying his best.

Totally agree. I’d rather have Hibbert attempt 20 jump hooks and make 8 of them then leave one Pacer scrub wide open for a 3 pointer like we did over and over again in game 4. Anyone notice how bad Lance Stephenson is when he’s actually guarded? Vogel did, he got benched for most of the 4th quarter.

Hubert: Guys, Roy Hibbert is still a very limited offensive player. He’s not going to score 42 points on you if he’s left single covered or if he’s not guarded by a traditional big. Solid team defense, beginning at the entry passes, can contain Roy Hibbert. If we lose this series, Miami is going to guard him with guys about the size of Chris Copeland and he’s not going to dominate them offensively. He is Roy Hibbert. Not Kareem. No one can make him look like Kareem, though Tyson is trying his best.

I agree that Hibbert is not dominant offensively but having Cope guard him will do two things: 1. Get Cope into foul trouble and 2. Continue the practice of doubling the post which will free up 3 point shooters.

I like the idea of Cope playing the 5, I’ve advocated it before. But only when he puts Mahimi in there and Hibbert is on the bench.

Side question, do you think we’ll every see Novak in this series? Not that I care. I think Cope is a better version of Novak, since Steve lost his automatic status.

Hubert: Guys, Roy Hibbert is still a very limited offensive player.He’s not going to score 42 points on you if he’s left single covered or if he’s not guarded by a traditional big.

Solid team defense, beginning at the entry passes, can contain Roy Hibbert.

If we lose this series, Miami is going to guard him with guys about the size of Chris Copeland and he’s not going to dominate them offensively.

He is Roy Hibbert.Not Kareem.No one can make him look like Kareem, though Tyson is trying his best.

You have more faith in Copeland’s ability to keep Hibbert off the glass than I do. Perhaps the Kareem line was a bit much, maybe David Robinson would make a better comparison. Anyway, point is, even our best defensive bigs (who are playing at a level far below their best this series) have had trouble with Hibbert. Further, Cope has had a lot of troubles with silly fouls this year (I think from trying too hard honestly), so he either gets into early foul trouble or Hibbert has 15 ORebs in the first half; neither of which works out good for us.

More Cope with Melo is a good thing, but let’s put him in a position to succeed (rain some jumpers and maybe a dribble drive or two), and not in a position to get destroyed on the other end thereby limiting him on the offensive end (which is why he’d in there in the first place). Yes he’d draw Hibbert our of the paint, which is obviously a very good thing, but I think he’d give up more on the defensive end when all is said and done.

It’s not that I think he’ll keep him off the glass it’s just that I think:

a) nothing is keeping him off the glass anyway, and

b) we can win without keeping him off the glass IF we are able to unleash our offense, and I think forcing Hibbert to guard Copeland is an excellent way to do that.

I’m basically betting that, if went to Copeland at the 5, it would free up Melo and that Carmelo Anthony would be able to outscore Roy Hibbert. I’m OK with that gambit.

The conservative alternative, as mentioned by mcliff, is to run for a few brief stretches to try to gain a 6 point advantage over 2 minutes somewhere.

But playing him with Martin/Chandler and Melo isn’t fundamentally any different than playing Shumpert or JR. He happens to be hitting shots and those guys weren’t, so that’s nice. But it doesn’t force them to change the way they are defending us.

You have to force them to change the way they are defending or they will just continue to throttle us, and the only way we can do that is by forcing them to match up Hibbert on Copeland.

I rarely disagree with the bookmakers, but I think they are underrating the impact of the loss of Hill on the Pacers. The line barely moved yesterday from earlier games in NY and the Pacers are a 4 1/2 point favorite tomorrow.

Like I’ve said, my model makes the Knicks a hair the better team. So with home court they were the favorite to win the series.

Once the Pacers took home court, they became a mild favorite to win the series.

At 3-1, they were a very solid favorite.

At 3-2 and home (but possibly without Hill), they are still the favorite, but that game 6 is closer to 1 or 2 points than 4 1/2 in my mind. The only way it’s 4 1/2 is if you are fairly certain Hill is playing. Maybe they know something the public does not, but with Hill out, the Knicks chances of winning 2 games and taking it to the 7th improved sharply.

Say, for instance, we ran Felton-Prigioni-Shumpert or JR-Melo-Copeland against their best 5.

Hibbert would have to cover Copeland. West is on Shumpert or JR.

That’s some serious spacing for Carmelo Anthony, space he has not seen all series.

Defensively, yes we would be exposed to O Rebounds, to say the least. But, especially if they don’t have George Hill, I would expect that lineup to be able to wreak enough havoc with their trapping that it would prevent their size advantage from dominating us.

But whatever. We would need Tyson to get ejected for a Flagrant 2, Martin to pick up 4 1st half fouls, and Marcus Camby to leave his sneakers at the hotel before Woodson would even go to a lineup like that.

stratomatic: I rarely disagree with the bookmakers, but I think they are underrating the impact of the loss of Hill on the Pacers. The line barely moved yesterday from earlier games in NY and the Pacers are a 4 1/2 point favorite tomorrow. Like I’ve said, my model makes the Knicks a hair the better team. So with home court they were the favorite to win the series. Once the Pacers took home court, they became a mild favorite to win the series. At 3-1, they were a very solid favorite. At 3-2 and home (but possibly without Hill), they are still the favorite, but that game 6 is closer to 1 or 2 points than 4 1/2 in my mind. The only way it’s 4 1/2 is if you are fairly certain Hill is playing. Maybe they know something the public does not, but with Hill out, the Knicks chances of winning 2 games and taking it to the 7th improved sharply.

So does that mean you’re taking the points and betting on the Knicks tomorrow?

mcliff05: So does that mean you’re taking the points and betting on the Knicks tomorrow?

I only tend to wager when I think the line if off by 3 or more points unless there are also some less tangible factors in my favor. That gives me some margin of safety for my own potential to be missing information or not weighting it properly. So right now I am in that grey area waiting for news on Hill one way or the other. Even when I I don’t intend to bet, I still think in terms of gambling lines because these games are the result of probabilities and not firm confirmation or refutation of opinions.

Hubert:
Say, for instance, we ran Felton-Prigioni-Shumpert or JR-Melo-Copeland against their best 5.

Hibbert would have to cover Copeland.West is on Shumpert or JR.

That’s some serious spacing for Carmelo Anthony, space he has not seen all series.

Defensively, yes we would be exposed to O Rebounds, to say the least.But, especially if they don’t have George Hill, I would expect that lineup to be able to wreak enough havoc with their trapping that it would prevent their size advantage from dominating us.

But whatever.We would need Tyson to get ejected for a Flagrant 2, Martin to pick up 4 1st half fouls, and Marcus Camby to leave his sneakers at the hotel before Woodson would even go to a lineup like that.

If your 4 and 5 are Copeland and Melo the only way you’re stopping the Pacers on offense is by turning them over because they will grab every offensive rebound. Copeland’s rebound rate is lower than Prigs and that’s not just a small sample size- he’s a terrible rebounder. You also have zero and I mean zero rim protection. Unless Cope is hitting threes every time down the court that lineup will get killed over the course of the game. You could try a Cope/Melo/Amar’e front line- spacing wouldn’t be quite as good but you’d still get Hibbert away from the basket and while you’d still suck defensively you’d at least have a shot at a rebound.

But wouldn’t it be a violation of the NBA’s concussion policy for Hill to come back on sat? Seems practically impossible for him to pass the tests by game time. I guess the other question is what are the ramifications for violating the policy–can Woodson raise his hand and demand to see test results and cause Hill to get benched if they’re not produced, or do the Pacers just get a slap on the wrist/small fine?

If I had to guess, he had some post-concussion symptoms, you never want to fly with a concussion, they didn’t need game 5, so they cautiously told him to stay home, rest up, be ready for Saturday.

nope:

“Pacers point guard George Hill flew on the team plane to New York and participated in a shootaround on Thursday morning. But 90 minutes before Game 5, the team announced he was out with a concussion — a potentially pivotal turn of events in the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup with the Knicks. ”

nicos: If your 4 and 5 are Copeland and Melo the only way you’re stopping the Pacers on offense is by turning them over because they will grab every offensive rebound.Copeland’s rebound rate is lower than Prigs and that’s not just a small sample size- he’s a terrible rebounder.You also have zero and I mean zero rim protection.Unless Cope is hitting threes every time down the court that lineup will get killed over the course of the game.You could try a Cope/Melo/Amar’e front line- spacing wouldn’t be quite as good but you’d still get Hibbert away from the basket and while you’d still suck defensively you’d at least have a shot at a rebound.

Here’s my problem with the anti-Copeland at the 5 people:

The things you’re afraid will happen if we play Copeland at the 5 are the things that are currently happening when we play Tyson Chandler at the 5.

Your solution is to keep playing Tyson Chandler and hope for a different outcome.

“Pacers point guard George Hill flew on the team plane to New York and participated in a shootaround on Thursday morning. But 90 minutes before Game 5, the team announced he was out with a concussion — a potentially pivotal turn of events in the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup with the Knicks. ”

The things you’re afraid will happen if we play Copeland at the 5 are the things that are currently happening when we play Tyson Chandler at the 5.

Your solution is to keep playing Tyson Chandler and hope for a different outcome.

For all his struggles Chandler’s rebound rate is TRIPLE Copeland’s and even if he hasn’t been himself defensively, even hurt he’s a far better defender than Copeland. To blithely say “we’re getting out rebounded already so how much worse could it get” ignores the fact that it could and probably would get a whole lot worse. The games where the Knick’s have gotten killed on the boards haven’t been close so I don’t think just ceding the offensive glass to them makes a whole lot of sense. Should Copeland play? Absolutely, but at the four not the five.